THE BOOK OF JOB A. B. Fay, DSD
Divine Science Bible Textbook
Colorado College of Divine Science
Denver, 1920.
This textbook was intended by the author to be used in conjunction with the Bible. Original page numbers and margin references are shown in brackets [ ].
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There is a doubt as to when Job lived, probably about the seventh or fourth century B.C. It is an allegory and there is an application to be taken from it for ourselves, an inner meaning which will help us.
[Job 1:6.]
We are all sons of God, and we come to present ourselves before God. Each soul can say, “I am the son of God”, but can I go before God with a perfectly unmixed consciousness? I think very few of us do this.
Personality is called Satan sometimes; any claim of separation from God can be called Satan.
Think of the omnipresence of God, let that be the basis of your decision; then ask yourself if there is a spot in the universe where you are willing to say God is not! Sometimes we think of Satan as unbelief. Belief and unbelief are simply conditions of our own mentality. To the extent that one expresses anything lower than perfection there is unbelief; that would account for everything [201] that comes to us. It was thought that Satan brought all these things upon Job.
Jesus sent the seventy out and they came back, saying that even the devils were subject to them and were rejoicing in what they were able to do in the Divine name, and Jesus said to them, not to rejoice in that, but in that their names were written in heaven. That means they were sons of God.
We get the fruit of our own belief because we act upon our belief. Rise out of your sense of limitation, such as pride, grief, sickness, and so on. To be well permanently, we must have a basis for our health. Open your eyes to see the harmony of God’s Presence. We all have the Divine inherencies or qualities that belong to God. Let us not seek praise, it is personal. It is the individuality we are bearing witness to as the expression of God. The body of God’s perfection is here in me. Acknowledge God’s wholeness. You do not possess a thing consciously until you claim it!
Job shows the development of a soul from the worshiping of an outside or personal God to the finding of the God within.
Three friends were on the same plane of understanding as Job, but he unfolds away from them. Three here, stands for collection of beliefs. As long as men have whirlwinds within themselves (strife) there will be whirlwinds without. Satan, [202] human personality claiming something for itself from God. John 8:44.
Job: 1:1-5–
2nd: Belief that God is changeable.
3rd: Did not stand, but sat (2:8) in the ashes.
4th: Duality, belief in evil.
5th: Fear, personal.
Fear is the beginning of wisdom. Job believed this story of himself, it was a part of his development, as a type.
Fourth verse means his light, this day, beginning to light. Each individual knows he has these two attitudes, fear and good, an argument between God and Satan. Satan, adversary, unbelief. The highest never argues, pure consciousness knows.
[Job 1:1]
Job’s opinion of himself. He based his perfection on what he had and what he had done, but the real basis of Perfection is in God. What I am is the basis. Job listened to the argument. If everything is swept away, it is according to Law, and after listening he had the experiences resulting from the argument; when we waver in thinking, we always have unhappy experiences.
[Job 1:21]
“The Lord gave and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.” This statement has become a fixed formula in many systems [203] of religion. We do not believe the Lord ever takes away anything. Yet was it not better for Job to say that than to complain of God? In a degree that was good, but later he says, “I have uttered things which I understood not.” That is one of them.
The Lord is changeless and does not take away. God is always giving, but the turning is on our side, our attitude, the soul’s attitude toward God.
When our eyes are opened to unity, our loved ones will not go beyond our sight.
[Job 2:4-5]
Satan touches Job’s body. He has been very complaisant under the loss of family and cattle, but Satan says, “All that a man hath will he give for his life, but touch his bones and his flesh and he will curse thee to thy face.”
Why have we always been taught that God sends sickness and that we must be patient under it? If God sends sickness for a purpose, and we are to be patient under it, why do we try to get rid of it?
[Job 2:7]
“So Satan went forth from the presence of the Lord, and smote Job with sores and boils.” Job forgot the presence of the Lord; Satan could not have afflicted Job with sores in the presence of the Lord; in the consciousness of the presence of the Lord. Of course, being away from the presence of the Lord is only in belief.
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[Job 2:8]
When we find our bodies stricken, lift up thought, take the positive stand and do not waver. Job sat in ashes; gave up.
[Job 2:9]
Then his wife said, “Dost thou still hold fast thine integrity? Renounce God, and die.”
[Job 2:10]
Job answered, “Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. Shall we receive good at the hand of God and shall we not receive evil?” Job did not rebuke God, but saw two powers, good and evil, duality.
Job’s three friends came to him. This was the condition of his own mentality, nothing from the external; no friend can come to us whom our own mentality does not bring. It is what we are giving out that comes back; our first work is with ourselves.
Now these three friends came and sat in silence seven days. Seven means a perfect period. After seven days of silence, Job cursed the day he was born. Then Eliphaz said, “The judgments of God fall on the wicked,” and tells Job not to despise the chastisement of the Almighty; that he who sins is punished; he urges Job to accept his punishment and value it. “Whom the Lord loveth, he chasteneth.” What is chastening? It is purifying. Should we despise the consuming fire? Read Job 5:19-27.
Bildad shows how God punishes the wicked and preserves the righteous; that is the consuming [205] fire. Bildad had Job’s punishment in mind, but he spoke a great truth. The destruction of everything that hurts or harms is the working of the law.
Job acknowledges the power of God, but says, “My soul is weary of life.” He is rising in consciousness, he is speaking to God, telling him to let him alone, to let him have a little comfort.
[Job 2:11]
Outside friends mean all the thoughts that believed in evil came up.
[Job 2:13]
Sank to his level, sat down with him.
[Job 3:1]
A day, breaking of light; cursed his day, rejected the old light and was willing to give up what he knew, old beliefs, a turning point.
[Job 4:3-9]
Words of three friends, condemnation and rebuke, condemnatory thoughts within Job. Do not condemn yourself.
[Job 5:17]
These spoke according to their light.
[Job 6:24, 7:16]
Job answers, beginning of his acknowledgment of erring.
[Job 8]
God is dealing justly with Job, but Job gradually changes his attitude, which is the cause of his trouble. Begins to see that it is not profitable to know so much that is not true. Job did not need condemnatory thoughts; the friends did not tell him to rise.
[Job 9:4-28]
Job confesses God’s power, and expresses fear again.
[Job 10:7]
Maintains his integrity.
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[Job 11:7]
Zophar reproves Job for justifying himself, “Canst thou find out the Almighty unto perfection?”
[Job 11:17]
Duality shines all through this, these men are a mixture of Truth and misconceptions.
[Job 12:2-3]
Job gets sarcastic, “No doubt but ye are the people, and wisdom shall die with you. But I have understanding as well as you; I am not inferior to you: yea, who knoweth not such things as these?”
[Job 12:10-13]
Praises God for what he is and what he does.
[Job 13:3-5]
Job silences his beliefs or voices that condemn; rises to greater faith in God.
[Job 13:15]
We are trying to know God, trust, think of life, not death.
[Job 13:23]
Make me to know my transgressions and my sins, not bemoan it, but lift it up by understanding. To count up is a low plane of development. Try to see the other, all in God.
[Job 14:1]
“Man that is born of woman,” not of God, shows unbelief. Man is born of God.
[Job 14:16]
God takes care of sin.
[Job 15: 6,8,10]
Eliphaz, aged men stand for old beliefs. Job is speaking on a higher plane.
[Job 16:2-5]
Job reproves the three friends.
[Job 16:12]
At ease, Job finds out he is “at ease,” though not from a basis of understanding.
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[Job 16:19]
Job rises to a clear realization, he catches a glimpse of his real self, his individuality.
[Job 17]
Job appeals from men to God.
[Job 17:13-16]
He see that God does not send affliction.
[Job 18:5-6]
“Light of wicked put out,” the claim that personality (Satan) makes.
[Job 18:18-21]
“Satan shall be driven from light into darkness; they that come after shall be astonished at his day, as they that went before were affrighted.” Astonished at the power given the claim of personality when the consciousness of individuality has come.
[Job 19:2,6-9]
Complains of cruelty, but Job begins to lay down his personality and to see that he cannot claim anything as Job, but of God.
[Job 19:14,20-21]
Beginning to hear the call that he must drop personal beliefs; his appeal to the pity of his friends even while protesting against their reproaches.
[Job 19: 25-27]
A wonderful conviction of Truth. “I know my Redeemer liveth, and he shall stand at the latter day (later consciousness of Truth) upon the earth.” Even his body is lifted up. “Yet in my flesh shall I see God, whom I shall see for myself; my reins be consumed with earnest desire for that day”–the light of understanding. “Latter day,” later consciousness of Truth. “All flesh shall know God,” shall be known as divine.
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[Job 19:28-29, 21:3,23-27]
“Root of the matter is found in me.” Job is seeing that the conditions are the result of his own belief. “Be ye afraid of the sword.” The sword of Truth. Matt.10:34. Job is reasoning from the surface conditions of life; sees for himself the end of personality in the grave. Isa.14:11 It is its own destroyer. “God is no respecter of persons,” each soul is born of God but the unfoldment into the Truth of birthright is attended by many man-made laws, beliefs and opinions. Ecc.7:29.
[Job 21:3-30]
All wickedness (ignorance) shall be destroyed. 1Cor.3:15.
[Job 22:21-25,28,30]
Eliphaz’s third speech is a powerful appeal of the spirit of Job for realization of God’s power and love; even to his own individual expression of his conscious unity with God. “Thou shalt also decree a thing, and it shall be established unto thee; and the light (or understanding) shall shine upon thy ways.”
[Job 22:21-23,26,29]
“Acquaint now thyself with Him (God) and be at peace–receive the law from His mouth and lay up His words in thy heart; thou shalt put away iniquity (ignorance) far from thy tabernacles; then shalt thou lay up gold as dust–the Almighty shall be thy defense and thou shalt have plenty of silver.” Deut.8:18. “For thou shalt have thy delight in the Almighty,” in the consciousness of the Omnipresence.
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“When men are cast down,” thou shalt have compassion, lift them up, even the “humble person,” the one who has the least realization of the truth of their relation to God, their Father.
“Deliver the island of the innocent”; by the purity of “their hands” wilt thou take by the hand those who believe they are separated (island) from their Source, God, and assure them of the truth of Omnipresence.
[Job 23:2-16,10]
Job’s earnest desire to know God.
[Job 25]
Bildad, personality still claiming a place, declares that man cannot be justified before God.
[Job 25:4]
Man is not born of woman, man is born of God.
[Job 25:6]
“Worm of dust” attitude is being pushed into the background of ignorance, whence it came. The realization of absolute identity with God, our Father, could mean only a deep and abiding happiness.
[Job 26:8-10]
Shows God, the Infinite, bindeth up waters in thick clouds.
[Job 27:6]
Job holds fast to righteousness, right thinking.
[Job 28:1-6]
Man’s skill in finding treasures of the earth. Wisdom is a greater treasure, whose source is God.
[Job 31:40]
Job had not yet risen to the heights.
[Job 32:1]
His friends cease to answer. Passing of Job’s thoughts out of condemnation.
Elihu was ready to put out words of condemnation. They cannot give Job a ray of light.
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Elihu represents the new recognition of Spirit; the new voice, the new vision.
[Job 32:6-10]
“Multitude of years should teach wisdom–but there is a spirit in man and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth them understanding–great men are not always wise; neither do the aged understand judgment.” Truth is uncovered by understanding. He who turns to the Secret Place in his own divine nature for all knowledge will walk with God. “All thy children shall be taught of God.” Isa.54:13; Jer.31:33-34.
[Job 33:1-5]
Elihu showing the higher things in order to stand up.
[Job 34:11]
Man receiving according to his own attitude. Our own way of looking at Truth is our conception. If we did not have Truth, we could not have conceptions.
[Job 34:15]
All belief in “flesh” as something apart from Spirit will perish and man shall turn again to his Source, the one eternal substance.
[Job 35]
The Presence, the Spirit of God, is to speak to Job.
[Job 36:4]
“He that is perfect in knowledge is with thee.”
[Job 38:1,3-8,36]
The call is, get up out of the ashes. God sets forth Job’s ignorance of creation, constitution of earth, light, and so on.
[Job 40:6-7]
First words of God that Job heard.
[Job 42:2-5,7]
Job answereth the Lord. Jehovah condemns Job’s three friends.
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[Job 42:10]
Job prayed for his friends, redemption of condemnatory thoughts. We must redeem every thought. The Law of God found Job when he dropped the personal attitude.
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